Drawn to Fire. When blacksmithing is depicted in popular culture, the image tends to be one of brute strength rather than finesse: A male of Wagnerian proportions wields a hammer overhead as veins bulge and sweat drops from his protuberant brow.
At Shawn Lovell’s studio in Alameda, California, such clichés are shattered with each strike of her hammer. A lithe and wiry 49, Lovell demonstrates her technique for forging a leaf, in a sequence that resembles a tightly choreographed dance, moving from anvil to power hammer and back to the coal-fed flames in fluid, efficient movements. Even her ergonomic striking technique, developed by Israeli blacksmith Uri Hofi, is more contained than histrionic; it has spared her the repetitive stress injuries common to the trade. “I’ve learned from many mentors over the years,” Lovell says.
Blacksmith Groups. Blacksmith's Gazette Home Page. Mark Aspery. Blue Moon Press. Anvilfire.com - Blacksmithing and Metalworkers Reference for Metal Artists. Blacksmithing Forum. Central Virginia Blacksmith Guild.